Contract bridge game card



July 2, 1935.

J. E. STONE CONTRACT BRIDGE GAME CARD Filed Oct. 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gmwntoo Julian E. Sta/Z3,

J. E. STONE CONTRACT BRIDGE GAME CARD Filed Oct. 17, 1935 July 2,1935.

4 lllllllldz Patented July 2, 1935 CONTRACT BRIDGE GAME CARD Julian E. Stone, Huntington, N. Y., assi'gnor of one-half to Michael Freiman, Farmingdale,

Application October 17, 1933, Serial No. 693,973

3 Claims.

This invention relates to playing cards and more especially to a pack of cards adapted for use in the game of contract bridge whist and containing the usual fifty two cards to comprise the deck, the

5 object of the invention being to eliminate certain picture cards such as the aces, kings, queens and jacks and the ten spot and substituting therefor cards having certain numerals or combina tions of numerals.

These and other objects and details of the invention are more fully described in the following specification, set forth in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein a complete deck of cards is shown with details and a modification.

Figs. 1 to 15 show various suits of the fifty two cards of the pack.

Figs. 16, 17 and 18 are enlarged views of cards selected at random to show the coloring of the index numbers.

Fig. 19 is a modified form of card showing enlarged key numbers in addition to the index numbers.

In Figs. 1 to 12 the black numerals are in full lines, the dash numerals may represent red numbers and the dotted figures represent green numbers.

In Figs. 13 to 19 the colors are in accordance with official regulations and showing numerals in black, red and green.

The twenty eight cards shown in Figs. 1 to '7 are of fixed rank and denominations and the numerals are of black, red and green, while the twenty one cards of Figs. 8 to 12 are of varying value and change their rank and denominations according to the lead and they are colored red and black.

The three remaining cards of the pack are shown in Figs. 13, 14 and 15 and consist of the large numerals in green and they are of varying denomination and may be known as guards. In a suit bid these cards become. the lowest trump of any suit declaration and rank in their numerical number. In a no trump bid, provided the suit has not been previously refused, they can be led as any suit or played upon any suit led and rank as the lowest cards in the suit.

The five highest numbers in the bid suits have red numerals at top or both top and bottom as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, by a, b, c, d, c, and F s- 8, 9. by 1, h. a, k. m. 0. p, q, 1', s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z, and correspond to the ace, king, queen, jack and ten spots of the ordinary card deck while the balance of the bid suit numbers are black.

Instead of but five bid suits as in contract bridge as heretofore provided for, this improved deck has seven bit suits, namely; nines, eights, sevens, sixes, fives, fours and threes.

The nine bid will make trumps of all the thirteen cards shown in Figs. 1, 8, 13, 14 and 15 and the other suits may include similar numbered cards, for instance, the five bid will include all the cards in Fig. 5, the card 1 in Fig. 8, the card g in Fig. 9, the card it in Fig. 10, the card i in Fig. 11, 7 and k in Fig. 12 and the cards in Figs. 13, 14 and 15, or a total of thirteen cards.

The deal, bid and scoring are the same as contract bridge played with the standard deck with the following exceptions;

Each player, except the dealer, receives one of the guards which are marked on the back for identification by having the backs of the three guards marked with the same numeral as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 13, 14 and 15 or having a different color from the rest of the deck.

The dealer starts the bid, which continues until a contract is declared or the hand abandoned, in which case the deal passes.

The first play or lead is made by the player at the left of the declarer or trump maker and the top number of the card determines and fixes the denomination of the lead.

In a trump lead every card with the trump number, whether top or bottom number and including the three guards, can be led as trumps.

is led. All players having fours in their hands must follow suit with the exception of the four of trumps. If a player cannot follow suit he may trump or discard any other suit.

The scoring, tabulating and other rules in connection with the game played with the above described cards are similar to the standard contract bridge rules and need not be repeated.

Figs. 16, 1'7 and 18 show more clearly the color arrangements of the various cards and the location of the numerals in the opposite corners while Fig. 19 illustrates how the numerals may be made more conspicuous by having them in figures of large dimensions and at the middle of the card. 1

It is obvious that the numerals in contract bridge cards may be otherwise disposed on the card, their dimensions changed or other colors used without departing from the essential features above described or from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new is;

1. In playing cards for contract bridge, the combination of suits of cards bearing numerals indicating the rank of the different suits and other numerals denoting the rank of the cards in the suit and other cards of varying denominations and bearing a single numeral.

2. In playing cards for contract bridge, the combination of cards bearing numerals indicating difierent suits and their ranks, and other cards bearing numerals denoting the denomination of said rank suit cards, the different numerals being of different color and arranged in diagonally opposite corners of the cards, and other cards of varying denominations and bearing numerals at their centres.

3. In playing cards for contract bridge, the combination of cards bearing index numerals indicating rank and other numerals indicating denomination values, the higher values of the latter having one color, the lower value on the same card being of a second color, and the medium of the remaining other said numerals being of a third color and cards of a varying value bearing numerals of a low value at the centre of the card and having the color of said medium denominational values.

JULIAN E. STONE. 

